Airborne Resupply

[sPzAbt653]

Airborne Resupply Test. Here are the surrounded units, there are two airfields in the pocket, one at Pitomnik (under the highlited unit), the other at Gumrak.

[sPzAbt653]

Suply View On and units removed, no supply is shown in the pocket (right side of screen shot), supply is visible at the left side of the screen where there is a line of communication to a supply point.

[sPzAbt653]

We'll follow this unit for a few turns. This starts on turn 2, the unit started with 100% supply. Note it is 'unsupplied' and gained 8 supply points at the beginning of turn 2.

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Turn 3:

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Turn 4:

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Turn 5:

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Turn 6:

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Turn 7:

[sPzAbt653]

More of the same for several more turns so no sense posting more shots. The unit did gain supply each turn at various rates, and the Force Supply Stockpile Level was set to 100 with an Air Transport Capacity of 50,000. Those are inflated numbers and a scenario with more 'normal' levels would generate less supply to isolated units. The unit never gained any equipment. I also monitored an infantry unit which started with 52 Rifle Squads. Until turn 8 its equipment did not change, but starting turn 8 it lost 1 Rifle Squad per turn. So it seems units in this situation will not gain equipment, but could lose some over time.

This could also be tested with various settings and without airfields, and while monitoring different unit proficiencies as Shunwick suggested in the other thread.

[sPzAbt653]

Here's what the Manual says:

Airborne Resupply
If a unit cannot trace a Line of Communication back to a friendly Supply Source, it may still be able to receive resupply. The level of resupply available to any particular hex is based on the amount of Air Transport Capacity left unused at the end of the previous Turn and the total size of the units in it requiring Airborne Resupply. Local Airborne Resupply levels are reduced by 33% if visibility in the location is Hazy, or 50% if the visibility in the location is Overcast.

[ColinWright]

I'm trying to figure out what's different about this and the scenario Telumar wrote and that I played with. In that one, the units DEFINITELY didn't gain supply. I stopped running it when they had fallen to 43%.

[sPzAbt653]

I don't know, and I didn't keep any records but I remember trying to get a Bastogne airfield to generate supply in Autumn Fog and having no luck. Maybe the new supply rules changed something?

[Telumar]

I'm sure you miss something. We miss something. I can see the effect in your test but i can't reproduce it in my revised test scenario (again attached). Run the test in PO vs PO for about 10 turns and then examine the airborne units. They're melting away without receiving supply. I raised airtransport to 75000, put an airfield on the supply point and one airfield into the Kessel adjacent to the isolated units. Nothing.

[Telumar]

Added one air unit (B-24) to side 1 - no effect.
Added transport helos to side 1, changed date to 1990 and made sure that the isolated units were in transport reach - no effect.
Raised supply to 100 - no effect.

EDIT: Tested under both, old and new supply.

[Telumar]

I finally found the solution!

In my scenario the units started unsupplied. I changed this and added a supply point to the isolated area which was then removed on turn 2. Voila - the same effect as in Steve's scenario. Planes and airfields aren't even necessary.

Attached new version. Run in PO vs PO several turns and see.

[ColinWright]

What's also interesting is that the units don't need to be airborne capable to benefit.

Given that one is willing to adjust the airlift to produce the desired effect, all sorts of things become possible.

Under the new supply rules, units that have run out to zero supply still show as 'supplied.' I wonder if this state would prevent them from receiving airborne supply?

[sPzAbt653]

In my scenario the units started unsupplied.

They start unsupplied in my scenario, too. So I am still unclear as to what is going on.

Planes and airfields aren't even necessary.

That makes sense, as airfields aren't necessary to drop supplies, and the Air Transport Capacity takes the place of planes.

Under the new supply rules, units that have run out to zero supply still show as 'supplied.' I wonder if this state would prevent them from receiving airborne supply?

I would say they would not qualify for Airborne Resupply, as the manual says 'If a unit cannot trace a Line of Communication back to a friendly Supply Source', it becomes eligible. Also, I was monitoring the New Supply in a scenario where many units had run out beyond the supply radius limit, and the units stayed 'supplied' and received 1 supply point per turn. If they were actually receiving Airborne Resupply at that point, I would expect some of the units would receive more than 1 point just by the odds and numbers.

[sPzAbt653]

Just for doing it, I ran the same test as I ran above but under Old Supply Rules and got the same results (unsupplied units receiving Airborne Resupply).

[shunwick]

Ok,

So I am uploading this twice since we have a discussion in two different places.

You know this would have been a lot simpler if you had just believed me in the first place!

Best wishes,
Steve (no, the other one...)

[shunwick]

Deleted.